News
SPAIN - 3i acquires shareholding in Sten
3i has agreed to buy a 30% stake in Sistemas Técnicos de Encofrados (STEN) from its founders and majority shareholders. The company develops formwork systems and solutions for construction projects and civil engineering work. The consideration has not...
UK/ NL - JP Morgan bids for Unilever frozen foods
Following reports by the Financial Times that interest in the frozen food division of Unilever is lacklustre, reports from Reuters now suggests that JP Morgan may have made a bid for the asset.
GERMANY - BC Partners pulls out of Bertelsmann-BMG auction
BC Partners has withdrawn its offer for Bertelsmann's BMG Music Publishing just before the deadline for the auction on 31 August. Bertelsmann is selling the group in order to pay off debt with the proceeds.
ITALY - MPS Venture exits Moby and buys into Savino Del Bene
The asset management firm MPS Venture has sold its 3.47% stake in logistics player Moby in a deal worth EUR 6.4m to the Onorato family, which now wholly owns the company.
NETHERLANDS - Apollo acquires TNT logistics division
Express delivery company TNT has signed an agreement to sell its logistics division to Apollo Management. The total value of the transaction is EUR 1.48m on a cash and debt free basis, of which EUR 15m will be received in the form of a 5% equity stake...
SPAIN - Fund Marco Polo ceases its activities
The closed-end fund Marco Polo will end its activities in September. Companies such as El Corte Ingle, Indra and Union Fenosa, as well as banks Caja Madrid and Bancaja invested over EUR 100m in 2000. The fund was created right at the start of the internet...
SWEDEN - Replisaurus raises $14.4m
Replisaurus Technologies has raised $14.4m in a first round funding led by Wellington Partners and Northzone Ventures. The new investors were joined by seed investors KTH Seed Capital, FBBB (ForetagsByggarna) and Aumar - The Sixth AP Fund (AP6).
SWEDEN - SLS Venture sells Carlsson Research in deal worth up to SEK 875m
Swedish Carlsson Research AB, a portfolio company of Scandinavian Life Science Venture (SLS), has been acquired by publicly-listed NeuroSearch A/S. The deal, which will close on condition that NeuroSearch completes a new rights issue, is worth up to SEK...
UK - Birds Eye auction not as well attended as hoped
Sources report that only a small number of private equity firms have submitted bids to the Goldman Sach's run auction for Unilever's Birds Eye brand.
UK - Barclays Ventures backs £26m MBO of KIG Holdings Ltd
Barclays Ventures has backed a ТЃ26m management buy out of KIG Holdings Ltd, a leading supplier of secondary steelwork branded products, primarily providing safe access solutions, structural fittings and steelwork fixings.
ITALY - 21 Investimenti buys stake in B-Pack Due
Treviso-based private equity firm 21 Investimenti has acquired a share in the capital of B-Pack Due, a company producing packaging material for the food, textile and medical sectors, for an undisclosed sum.
NETHERLANDS - VNU appoints David Calhoun as chairman of executive board and CEO
VNU has announced that David L. Calhoun, vice chairman of General Electric Company, has been named chairman of the executive board and chief executive officer of VNU by the company’s supervisory board. Calhoun succeeds Rob Ruijter, who has served as interim...
BELGIUM - Ablynx raises EUR 40m in C financing round
Ablynx, a company specialising in the discovery and development of Nanobodies, a novel class of antibody-derived therapeutic proteins, has announced the successful closing of its series C financing round raising EUR 40m.
UK - Hotbed, Quester and Bank of Scotland invest in metal-coating company
Hotbed, Quester and Bank of Scotland Corporate's Growth Equity team have led a ТЃ10m funding round for Keronite. The three investors contributed ТЃ2.7m, ТЃ1.3m and ТЃ2m respectively.
UK - Smedvig appoints new associate
Smedvig Capital has announced the appointment of Nicola Lando as a new associate. She joins Smedvig from Mercer Management Consulting.
NETHERLANDS - Peakadilly closes series A financing at EUR 14.5m
Peakadilly NV, the predictive protein biomarkers company, has today announced the final close of its series A financing, raising a further EUR 8.5m and bringing the total raised to EUR 14.5m. Investors in the second close of the series A financing were...
ESTONIA - Estonia's development agency to hire more representatives abroad
Enterprise Estonia, Estonia's economic development agency, will recruit new employees to take up positions at its new field offices abroad. New staff will set up and run international offices in San Francisco Bay Area and in Kiev.
FRANCE - Lafarge sale draws interest
Ahead of the deadline for bid submissions on 6 September, a dozen private equity firms are reportedly set to take part in the auction for two thirds of Lafarge's roofing business. One or two trade buyers are also said to be preparing a bid.
UK - Private equity rumours surrounding SMG unfounded
The Financial Times reports that the Scottish media company, SMG, is likely to turn down last week's takeover approach from Northern Irish rival, UTV. The rumours surrounding SMG and private equity do not apparently have any serious foundations.
NETHERLANDS - Rabo Participaties acquires stake in Renhard BV
Rabo Participaties has acquired a participating interest in Renhard BV, which is the holding company of TCL Installatietechniek BV, in order to enable the merger of TCL and BV Warmte Technisch Buro J Giesbers & JJ van der Graaf. Giesbers & van der Graaf...
UK - Dubai International Capital acquires Travelodge from Permira
Permira has realised its investment in Travelodge, selling the operator of 291 hotels to Middle Eastern private equity firm, Dubai International Capital (DIC) for ТЃ675m. DIC beat private equity rivals Cinven and BC Partners and trade buyer Whitbread...
UK - Endless exits Encanta via sale to Exponent porfolio company, Magicalia
Endless has announced the disposal of Encanta Media Ltd for ТЃ2.72m to Magicalia, an on-line publishing business and one of Exponent Private Equity's portfolio companies.
UK - Dunedin backs £30m secondary MBO of Capula Ltd
Dunedin Capital Partners has announced that it has led the secondary management buyout of Capula Ltd, the UKтs leading independent provider of real time IT solutions to the energy and utility markets, from Bridgepoint. Dunedin backed the management team...
GERMANY - fg microtec to expand in Japan
A syndicate of existing investors has provided a further EUR 2m to fg microtec in order to fund its expansion in Japan.